Southeastern Europe may get EUR 10 billion as EU boosts Just Transition Fund plan
The European Commission has proposed to increase the funds intended for the energy transition of coal regions from EUR 7.5 billion to EUR 40 billion. The initial proposal for the economic recovery of the 27-country bloc has been amended to add massive stimulus. The move is part of the newest effort of the Commission, called […]
Region gets EU support to wrap up just transition plans
The European Commission has approved all requests made by 18 member states including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, and Romania, for support in the preparation of their territorial just transition plans, which each country will have to draw up to get access to funding from the Just Transition Mechanism. The Just Transition Mechanism is part of […]
EU to focus on Green Deal diplomacy; preparing Green Agenda for Western Balkans
Participants at the 5th Energy and Climate Committee meeting, organized by the Energy Community Secretariat, have stressed the connection between national energy and climate plans (NECPs) and the European Green Deal, focusing in particular on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. The meeting was held digitally as part of the response to the COVID-19 […]
Environmental organizations ask EU to stop waste burning in coal power plants in Bulgaria
Environmental lawyers at ClientEarth, Greenpeace Bulgaria and Za Zemiata are bringing a legal complaint to the European Commission to compel EU authorities to investigate and order the alleged illegal waste incineration in Bulgaria to stop. Three organizations have taken action after the Bulgarian government secretly allowed three aging coal power plants to burn unclassified waste, […]
EU conditions EUR 251 million state aid to coal, power utility CE Oltenia
The European Commission has approved Romania’s plans to grant a EUR 251 million loan to second-biggest power producer Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CE Oltenia) but with strict conditions. The Romanian government has defined a plan to help Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CE Oltenia), coal-based utility trapped in a financial squeeze for years. A public loan warrants approval […]
Clean energy potential of coal regions in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Slovenia: EU report
In more than half of the 42 coal regions in the European Union, the switch to clean energy can create more jobs than currently exist in the coal sector, finds the latest report of the European Commission. The study of its Joint Research Centre (JRC) on clean energy technologies in coal regions includes seven regions […]
EU scolds Croatia for delay in reporting on energy efficiency
Downsizing and the faulty database of the former relevant authority in Zagreb blocked the European Commission from getting a complete picture of progress in the European Union. Croatia now has a different agency tasked with providing the annual retrospective on energy efficiency. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy said it would “very soon” publish […]
Romania to invest EUR 53 million in charging stations for hybrid, electric vehicles
Romania is launching a EUR 53 million state aid scheme to stimulate investments in charging stations for hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) which will span from 2020 to 2025. The measure is approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. Romania currently has more than 150 charging stations for EVs. In 2018, authorities […]
